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11. Working in Madrid

Madrid at a Glance

Expat Work Info Madrid

Several Spanish business giants, such as Grupo Santander, are based in Madrid.

Visa Regulations

If you do not come from an EU member state, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, or Liechtenstein, you need to apply for a work visa. Be sure to do this before actually moving to Madrid, as visas are not assigned within Spain. As the requirements for a work visa may vary, contact the Spanish Embassy or Consulate in your home country.

Whether or not the Spanish government will grant you a visa for working in Madrid is not guaranteed. It would be a benefit if you already had a job when applying for the work visa.

Some companies in Madrid that hire foreigners will assign a lawyer to their case, greatly simplifying the entire process for their new employee. If this is not the case, it is still recommended to seek the help of an attorney, which, albeit more expensive, is hassle-free and allows you more time for the actual job search.

A helpful location in Madrid is the Ayuntamiento (City Council), where you can find forms and gather useful information on various administrative issues. Unfortunately, large parts of their website are in Spanish only, so it helps if you have a friend or co-worker who can translate for you. The Municipal Office for the Immigrant Population may also be able to help you out in such matters.

Taxation

To find out what the respective taxation requirements for your country of origin are, please visit the Spanish tax authority’s official website for more information. As a general rule, people earning less than 22,000 EUR annually do not need to file for taxes. It is also helpful to contact the tax advisor of your future employer.

It is possible that you may be a national of a country that has a joint taxation agreement with Spain. For example, the United Kingdom has a double taxation treaty with Spain, which means that a foreign national from the UK must first figure out in which country they reside more frequently in order to know where to file taxes.

Employment Prospects for Self-Made Expats

As mentioned above, there are several different sectors currently thriving in Madrid, the strongest ones being transportation and tourism: Madrid is both the transportation hub and the most touristic city of Spain. Some professional experience in the hotel or service industry may therefore be useful when looking for employment in Madrid on your own.

Since Madrid is the economic center of Spain, the financial sector is also flourishing. Banks are among the leading employers in Madrid. The headquarters of three large multinational Spanish corporations (Telefónica, Repsol-YPF and Banco Santander) are also situated in Madrid. Checking out their online job pages is the most up-to-date way of finding out about possible job openings.

Looking for a Job

If you are planning to live and work in any foreign city, it is preferable to speak the local language. Although most business people in Madrid do master the English language, it is much easier to go about your job search in Spanish. The best way to find a job in Madrid is to read the classifieds section of El País or El Mundo. Of course, there are a number of internet job sites that are helpful as well, such as Info Empleo and Trabajos. Check out Madrid’s community website for various employment bureaus around the city.

It is a common method in Madrid to send speculative or unsolicited applications to larger companies that interest you, as these do not always place ads in the newspapers and on job websites, in order to avoid the large influx of applications. Always make sure that your CV and cover letters are both in English and in Spanish. Spanish CVs usually include your photo on the title page and, as an attachment, include all your important certificates, degrees and job references. Make sure that these are translated into Spanish!